A Montreal West Island family is seeking answers and financial support after father and son were caught in the crossfire between police and a suspect three weeks ago.
Houssam Abdallah, 52, remains in hospital and needs further surgery as he recovers from five gunshot wounds. The father of four has been hailed as a hero for putting himself in the line of fire on the evening of August 4.
His son Abdel Rahman, aged 18, was also hit in the exchange of gunfire between police and a 26-year-old suspect in front of the family residence in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
The family says between 30 and 40 shots were fired and their car had nine bullet holes.
More than three weeks after the shooting, the Abdallahs still don’t know whether the bullets that hit the two men came from police or the suspect. Additionally, the family says police have not explained why officers handcuffed the father and son after they were injured.
“We are trying to get answers,” Jana Abdallah, 22, Houssam’s eldest child, said in an interview Monday.
“We feel like we’ve been left a little bit in the dark about what’s going on – who shot who, why it happened – but also about compensation and services […] There has been no consistent support, we always have to push for our rights.”
The suspect, Nackeal Hickey, allegedly tried to steal Mr. Abdallah’s car shortly before the shooting began. The family was unloading the vehicle after returning from a camping trip. Jana said her father told the suspect the keys were still in the car. Moments later, gunshots rang out and the family began walking toward their home.
Mr. Abdallah was hit by five bullets, and Abdel Rahman, who was released from hospital, was hit once.
Jana said her father tried to explain to police that he was not a suspect, but she said his handcuffs were only removed after the paramedic insisted. Her brother was not released from the handcuffs until he arrived at the hospital, she said.
Mr. Hickey faces 15 charges, including four counts of attempted murder. But so far, he has not been charged with shooting the Abdallahs. He is due back in court in November, according to court records.
The Sûreté du Québec and the province’s Independent Investigations Bureau say the investigation is ongoing.
No financial aid
Jana said her father, a logistics supervisor at Montreal’s Sainte-Justine Hospital, was the family’s primary provider and she wants to know what financial resources are available to help them. She said a social worker from a victims’ support group suggested they ask family and friends for money.
At first, the family was told they wouldn’t be eligible for compensation, but Jana later said she was told to apply to a government agency that distributes money to victims of crime, the Crime Victims’ Compensation (CVCC). Neither she nor her brother have heard back.
The scars the family has to deal with are not just physical: the youngest, a nine-year-old boy, suffers from nightmares.
The family held a press conference on Sunday to mark the three weeks that have passed since the event.
The Abdallahs contacted the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRAAR), a Montreal-based civil rights organization, for help with the press conference. Fo Niemi, executive director of CRAAR, called on crime victims’ support groups to be more sensitive and flexible.
“It’s terrible, it’s the worst nightmare, it’s a whole family falling apart,” Niemi said in an interview Monday.
“We look at the physical consequences, we have to look at the psychological consequences, and then the material and financial consequences, and some of those things can take months to overcome.”
“We hope that now there will be a little more transparency, that we can have a little more answers,” Jana said on Monday.
“Not necessarily speeding up the process, because I want the process to be done correctly, we want the right procedures to be followed, we want the right answers to be given to us.”